connda

Ever serve in the military, or were you a coward? I'm guessing the latter. Enjoy wallowing in your self-sanctimonious drivel. I've no time for fools like you.

Dude - screw your head on straight. I was Vietnam War cannon fodder on my 18th birthday. The Vietnam war didn't end until April 30, 1975. The boomer era spanned 1946 through 1964. US kids were being drafted big time after the Gulf of Tonkin fiasco in the summer of 1964. By 1965 the US were drafting US 18 - 26 year old US guys with abandon. Those born in 1946 were all turning 18 in 1964 and were eligible to be drafted. And that war went on for 10 freaking years! I lost a lot of friends. "Swissie." Not American are you? You really don't have a clue. Don't you dare discount that war as something trivial.

How did you manage to miss Vietnam?

It's not my cup of tea, but neither is closing web portals because they host legal but disturbing graphics. If you don't want to watch, don't watch. I personally have no desire to watch people die. Now on the other hand, Thai TV News shows the same type of graphic stuff daily in order to generate viewership. The only difference? They pixalate or blur the gory details. In reality, they are doing the same thing: Leveraging other's deaths to generate viewership. One's "Bad" and the other is "Acceptable?" Get real. They both use the appeal of a common denominator.

Fiery but Peaceful. 🔥

It's pretty sad what other people consider "success." I consider success a roof over my head, food on the table, good health, and family. Everything else is gravy. Which is why I'm not in debt and others are up to their eyeballs in debt. My lifestyle doesn't reflect what's "in the bank." I've never had any interest in "Keeping up with the Jones Shinawatras" in appearances. Those who do? Fools.

If the PTB hadn't have destroyed the small and medium size business (you know - the NON-ESSENTIAL ones) then they wouldn't have to aggressively inflate the economy. Which will lead to inflation, which in turn will make it even more difficult for average people to live. It's almost like it's planned that way, 'eh? 🤔

Exactly.

I wonder how many of those Thais working in 7/11 hold down two jobs to make ends meet? I've done that in the US. One's earning potential is limited by one's desire to earn. And luck. But? I was brought up in the era of "hard work pays." Definitely a different era. And I started working as a kid doing paper routes and selling stuff because <drum roll> I wanted to earn money when a I was a kid <cymbal crash>. That all prepared me for adulthood.

What's with the sad emojis. Someone disagrees and it's "Sad Emoji Time." Like I said, if you feel so sad about it, start handing out money to these "poor Thais" in order to create equality in your own mind. You'll feel much better 🙄 Not.

Does the inequality in Thailand ever make you feel uncomfortable? No, it really doesn't. How traveled are you? I've seen way worse, even in my own country. It tends to be relative. You're missing the bigger picture. A Thai living in the US could be making the equivalent of 60,000 THB a month - rich by Thailand standards 'eh, but that person would be close to living in poverty and struggling to live on the US economy unless shacking up with a bunch of other Thais and sharing rent and other expenses. Then there is healthcare.. What was a decent living wage in the US 30 years ago and affordable is "poverty line" now. Want to rent an apartment in the North Hollywood "Thai Town" section of LA? That 60,000 THB ($1800 USD) probably won't cover the rent for one month. A Thai making 15K THB in Thailand may be shelling out 20% of their wages on rent, healthcare is free, ya see where I'm going? Then you're dumping all Thais into one bucket. Rather ethnocentric, but there ya have it - you're using your own economic condition as a measuring stick while leaving out how you would measure up in your own economy. You are making the grossly inaccurate assumption that there is no upward mobility here, and that you can't "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" and better you own condition. Not all Thais make 15K THB / mo. My own stepson started off making $15K per month - it's called an entry-level job. Made some job changes, sharpened his skills, and now is pulling down 50K and more per month. He's solidly middle-class Thai. Do you feel sorry for him because he is "Thai?" Don't - he's got a good life. 7/11s pretty much anywhere in the world isn't a career - it's a step-job. It's the step to the next higher paying job. You're thinking way too much. But if you feel that sorry? Start handing out ฿100 THB gifts per/person to the staff every time you visit a 7/11 to assuage your guilt. Can ya do that? Yeah - didn't think so. You're comparing apples and oranges. You should feel good that working Thais can live on the local economy whereas many working class US citizens are having a major struggle as are many in other Western countries. Why do you believe that a large subset of expats choose to live overseas? Really? I drop ฿2000 to ฿3500 pretty routinely on visits to Big C and Makro. 9 dogs, 1 cat, 2 birds, and a Mrs's - I've got a lot of mouths to feed. Shopping in 7/11 is for picking up the loaf of bread I couldn't find in the other stores or buying a snack. You live off of 7/11 food? Gawd!

No. It's still a "third-rail" issue for both Republicans and Democrats. If he axed Social Security the Democrats would own Congress and the Presidency in 2028.

Only 162? Relatively clean air. Almost 300 in Mae Hong Song and over 200 in parts of Lampang. Generally "Unhealthy" and pushing "Very Unhealthy" in Chiang Mai.

They do in my part of Northeastern Lamphun. Everybody knows and you do not see any field burning at all. Forest arson? Yeah, that's a problem, but right now the surrounding forest of off limits. Is that enforced. To the extent that they have overworked forestry cops out looking for it.

The inversions layer is a contributing factor. It's the seasonal burning at this time of year that creates the pollution that is then trapped in between. Inversion layers don't create the smoke.

CAPS LOCKS STUCK?

I still remember sitting at an intersection next to a Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai bus which had tires without tread. Amazing Thailand. The government it seems does little in the way of regulating the safety of buses which is why there are so many incidences of bus crashes. This isn't rocket science. It's assigning government safety inspectors to regularly inspect this form of public transportation. Or - mandate that buses pull into truck weight stations for visual inspections. If there was a will, there would be a way. I don't think there is any will. TIT.

This one even made international news.

Hell of good run! RIP.

Cafe Connda.

"If you dance with the devil, then you haven't got a clue, for you think you'll change the devil, but the devil changes you." Or just beats the snot out of you and leaves you for the BIB to clean-up.

Gawd - Thailand's obsession with bluring out videos. Really! What even bother?